Happy spring! This month brought some new beginnings for some Asian celebrities. In Tiger Woods’ case, he attempted to turn over a new leaf. Padma Lakshmi introduced a new baby girl to the world, Zhang Ziyi opts out of a film, and the cast of “Glee” is invited to the White House. I will also update you on how Asian American U.S. Olympians finished!

Happy new year to you and to our favorite Asian American celebrities! Some of our favorites had a pretty rough ending to the year, while others had reasons to celebrate. Here’s what went down last month: Tiger Woods — need I say more? Jon Gosselin is detached from Kate once and for all, Jackie Chan’s “Karate Kid” trailer is released, and Jay Sean makes music history.

Fame, fortune, and scandal were the driving forces behind the endless news coverage of Jackson. Readership of Jackson news shot up when a Los Angeles coroner ruled the singer’s death a homicide after lethal levels of the anesthetic propofol, combined with two other sedatives, were found in his system.

Welcome to the special 13th edition of my pop culture column! After one year of covering Asian Americans in pop culture, I have witnessed a lot of ups and downs. It is on that note that I present my list of top celebrities and figures that reflected how far Asians have come in pop culture and the bottom five that were flat out embarrassing.

Amid all the headlines generated by Tiger Woods’ troubles — the puzzling car accident, the suggestions of marital turmoil, and the multiple mistresses — little attention has been given to the race of the women linked with the world’s greatest golfer.